Jon stood all the way up and started back to the hole in the fence, keeping his eyes on the three zombies. They didn’t realize he was there, and even if they did, they were far enough away where he could run and block the fence before they made it over to him. So, he picked up his gait.
Finally taking his eyes off of the creatures to check his distance from the fence, Jon stopped in his tracks.
“Fuck.”
Four more zombies hung around the outside of the fence, spitting and snarling. And before Jon could jump behind another vehicle, one of the monsters saw him.
The creature screamed.
This not only caused its counterparts to look up and spot Jon, but the ones on the other side of the yard glanced back, as well.
Jon reached for his handgun in his holster. He gripped it with his clammy palm, but hesitated to pull it out. He’d already underestimated how many zombies were in the area. What if there were more? The howls of the creatures would only reach so far, and other zombies or people might just ignore them. But the blast of a gun was something entirely different. That could bring on an entire horde, or even draw the attention of any raiders in the area.
He took his hand off of the gun and grabbed the bat off his back instead.
I’m not fucked yet. Only use the gun if I’m fucked.
Raising the bat, Jon glanced back and forth between the two groups.
“Come on, you bastards. Which one of you wants it first?”
12
The creature which had initially spotted Jon got down to crawl under the space in the fence while the three zombies on the other end of the yard swayed toward him. One of those three monsters moved with more haste than the others, and Jon lifted the bat to his shoulder and swung. He connected with a shot on the zombie’s left ear, sending it crashing down to the earth.
Jon heard the zombie that had crawled under the fence snarl behind him and swung the bat again, this time overhead, following the sound. The bat came down over the top of the creature’s head, cracking its skull like a coconut. Blood splashed up onto Jon’s face, leaving another crimson paint stroke on his bat. Another reminder of the shit this world had become.
The other three zombies outside of the fence fought with each other to get through the gap, making it impossible for any of them to get to Jon for the moment. He turned his focus to the other two that were already in the yard.
One of the creatures made a sudden lunge at him, and Jon narrowly dodged it. The maneuver gave him enough time to land a shattering blow on the other zombie. Jon hit it square in the nose, dropping it.
Before Jon could catch his breath, the third zombie recovered from the missed tackle and came at him again. Jon managed a swing of the bat, but wasn’t agile enough to aim. He hit the creature in the shoulder, which did little to halt the zombie’s advances. The dead thing found a piece of Jon’s jacket, throwing him off balance and sending both of them down to the ground.
The beast snapped its jaws inches from Jon’s face. Jon managed to get one hand up to hold the creature back, but the dead thing had the leverage. It also had Jon’s other hand pinned. He held the zombie by the throat as it tried to lock its jaws onto any piece of Jon’s flesh it could reach.
Saliva dripped down onto Jon’s face as the creature screamed, its acrid breath billowing into Jon’s nostrils.
Jon took his eyes off his assailant long enough to check the status of the other three zombies. One of them had made it halfway under the fence, the other two still keeping it from making it all the way through. But it was only a matter of time.
Returning his attention back to his attacker, Jon gritted his teeth and pulled his trapped arm as hard as he could. It came loose, but when he went to join it with his other around the dead thing’s throat, the zombie grabbed onto Jon’s wrist and dug its decrepit nails into Jon’s arm.
Jon screamed as the overgrown nails broke the skin. He briefly loosened his grip on the thing’s throat and the zombie snapped its jaws, almost taking off Jon’s nose. He pushed the dead thing away, squeezing its throat as if he could choke the life out of it. But though this thing walked the earth, it had been a long time since it had lived.
The choking did cause the creature to loosen its grip on Jon’s arm long enough for him to pull it free. Jon reached for his knife at his waist while the zombie searched for his arm again. He found the hilt and released the blade from the holster, gripping it firmly in his hand and pointing the knife at the dead thing.
Jon thrust the knife into the side of the zombie’s head, entering its brain through the temple. The snarls ceased, and the zombie’s dead weight fell all the way onto Jon’s body.
A snarl sounded in Jon’s left ear. The other dead thing had made it under the fence and was getting up to its feet.
Getting both his hands under the zombie, Jon exhaled as he pushed up. He grunted as the weight came off of him, giving Jon a sense of relief. With the zombie off, he rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself up onto his feet. The next zombie reached its feet at nearly the same time.
Jon saw his bat lying on the ground, too far away to reach. And he had left his knife lodged in the other zombie’s temple.
With no other option, he drew his pistol.
Aiming it at the center of the creature’s head, Jon pulled the trigger. His shot landed above the zombie’s right eye,
